Operation: Save Bob
by Dixie Darlin
Summary: Sequel to My Date With The Millionaire's Daughter. Ashley receives a letter saying Bob's being held for ransom. Can she and their friends save him in time?
1. The Note

Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or anything else related to Disney.  
  
Author's Note: Well, I didn't realize how many people was liking this Bob/Ashley thing, so I decided to prolong the story. Here's a little mystery to keep you guys entertained.  
  
Chapter One: The Note  
  
Ashley was in a lovestruck daze all weekend. She couldn't put her and Bob's kiss out of her head. And she was in such a good mood all the time. Not once since the date had she yelled at her brother and sister, no matter how annoying they were. Finally, Monday came and it was time for school again. Ashley for once couldn't wait for it to start now that her and Bob were together.  
When she arrived at school, she was immediately greeted by Ashley B. and Ashley Q.  
"So, what was it like?" Ashley B. blurted out.  
"Did he kiss you?" Ashley Q. asked.  
"Slow down, girls!" Ashley A. laughed. "I'll tell you all about it later."  
When they all went inside the building, Ashley glanced around for Bob, hoping to get a chance to talk to him before class starts. Unfortuneately, she didn't see him anywhere so she was forced along to class. When Biology came around, she still didn't see him. She was extremely worried that something may have happened to him. Lunch finally came around, and Ashley hurried herself and her two friends through the line.  
"Hurry up and sit down!" she whispered as she made her way to an empty table.  
"What in the world is up with you?" Ashley Q. asked irritatedly.  
"Yeah, you act like someone died or something," Ashley B. added.  
"Shut up! Have you two seen Bob today?"  
The two girls exchanged glances then faced Ashley A. again.  
"Uh, no," Ashley Q. said slowly.  
"Oh, man! I can't believe this!" Ashley A. moaned, putting her hands over her face.  
"Get a grip," Ashley B. demanded. "Maybe Lawson and Vincey-Wincey know where he is."  
"Vincey-Wincey?" Ashley Q. asked. "Earth to Ashley B. He doesn't like you!"  
Ashley A. rolled her eyes and got up to find Bob's two friends. They were at their usual table, and Ashley noticed right away that Bob wasn't with them.  
"Excuse me," she said, tapping Vince on the shoulder.  
Vince turned around, a little surprised at Ashley's presence.  
"What is it?" he asked.  
"Have you two seen Bob?" she asked. "I haven't seen him all day."  
"Yeah?" Lawson asked. "Neither have we."  
"I'm serious!" Ashley exclaimed. "Where is he?"  
"Listen," Vince said. "We don't know. We haven't seen him all weekend."  
Ashley got a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach.  
"You haven't?" she asked. "Well, do you know where he might be?"  
"No," Lawson answered. "If you're so worried about him, why don't you call him?"  
"If he's even there," Vince added. "He probably went with his folks. He did say they were goin' out of town."  
Ashley let out an aggravated sigh and stormed out of the cafeteria. She could hardly believe that Bob would go out of town without telling her. She got to the payphone in the hallway, put in a quarter, and dialed Bob's number. One ring, two rings, three rings. An answering machine came on, and Ashley hung up. Where on earth was Robert Mitchells?  
Lunch ended, and Ashley shuffled to her locker. As she grabbed her history books, she saw a folded up note sticking out of her backpack. Curious, she opened it and read the carefully typed letter...  
  
IF YOU WANT TO SEE ROBERT MITCHELLS ALIVE, DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE TOLD. COME TO THE WAREHOUSE ON THE CORNER OF WOODS AVE. AND MOCKINGBIRD DR. AT 11:00 TONIGHT. DON'T CALL THE POLICE, COME ALONE, AND BRING 1 MILLION DOLLARS.  
  
It was any teen's worst nightmare. And it was happening to Ashley and Bob.  
  
**************************** First chapter okay? I know I'd freak if I found a note like that. *** 


	2. The Team

Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or anything else related to Disney.  
  
Chapter Two: The Team  
  
Ashley sat on her bed staring at the note. It was all she could think about for the rest of the day. She read it over and over in her head. At first she thought it might have been a joke. Why on earth would someone be asking HER for the money? If there was anyone to be sending a ransom note to, it would be Bob's family.  
Ashley jumped when the phone rang. After a couple of more rings, she picked it up slowly.  
"H-Hello?"  
"Ashley A., what on earth is going on?" Ashley Q. replied from the other end of the line. "You've been acting weird ever since lunch."  
Ashley let out a sigh of relief.  
"Oh, I am so glad you called. You are never going to believe this."  
"Try me."  
"Okay. I got this note saying...Wait. Maybe I shouldn't say on the phone. Come to my house in ten minutes and I'll tell you. And call Ashley B. and tell her to come too."  
"But--"  
Ashley didn't give her a chance to protest. She hung up.  
  
***********************************  
  
All three girls were in the dining room sitting at the table. The note lay before them opened up.  
"Okay, this is too creepy," Ashley B. said after a long silence.  
"What should we do?" Ashley Q. asked Ashley A.  
"I don't know," she answered. "I mean, why would they send a ransom note to ME? They should have sent it to his family, if anybody."  
"Maybe Bob's family doesn't have enough money to pay a ransom with, so they sent the note to his RICH girlfriend," Ashley Q. suggested.  
"Or maybe, someone's out for revenge on you, and this is their way of getting payback," Ashley B. added.  
"Give me a break," Ashley Q. scoffed. "Who would want revenge on an Ashley? We don't do anything wrong."  
"Maybe Nichole got jealous and decided to kidnap Bob," Ashley B. kept on.  
"Nichole?" Ashley A. wondered aloud. "You'd think she would kidnap ME, so that I'd be out of her way."  
"But maybe she kidnapped Bob so she could have him to herself, and only herself," Ashley Q. said.  
"True," Ashley A. said thoughtfully. All of this was so confusing!  
"Well, whoever kidnapped him, you still have this ransom note," Ashley B. reminded her. "You still have the problem of getting one million dollars to this warehouse place at eleven o'clock."  
"Why didn't they just make it midnight?" Ashley Q. said angrily. "It would make much more sense."  
The girls sat in silence for about five minutes.  
"Girls, we're going to need some help with this," Ashley A. said at last.  
"Help?" Ashley Q. asked.  
"Well, we can't rescue Bob alone. We need some backup."  
"For what?! We're just paying a million dollars then leaving with your boyfriend. Piece of cake!" Ashley Q. exclaimed.  
"But what if there's some guards, or if they kidnap us too, or maybe they'll kill us or something!" Ashley B. cried.  
"Shut up!" Ashley Q. scolded. "Don't be ridiculous. Besides, who would help us anyway?"  
Ashley A. smiled knowingly.  
"I think I know just the guys." **********************************  
"No way!" Lawson argued. "No way are we gonna risk getting killed over you two lovebirds' problems."  
"Come on, you two!" Ashley A. pleaded. They were all at the park where Vince and Lawson were practicing shooting some hoops for the game Thursday.  
"Man, are you nuts?!" Vince exclaimed. "Do you know what happens when you mess with people like this?"  
"I don't care!" Ashley A. yelled. "Bob is in trouble and I'm going to save him. If you two were really his best friends, you would help us."  
"Forget it, Ashley A.," Ashley Q. said. "They're just a couple of chickens who would rather shoot hoops than rescue their best friend from being killed."  
The girls started walking away.  
"What are you doing?" Ashley A. whispered.  
"Trust me," Ashley Q. whispered back. "They'll start feeling bad and then they'll want to help us. Keep walking."  
"Aww, man," Vince moaned. "I hate it when they make us feel guilty."  
"For real," Lawson added. "Hey!"  
The three Ashley's turned around.  
"Okay, we'll help," Lawson continued. "As long you girly-girls don't run the show all night."  
"Yeah," Vince added. "So...where do we start?" *********** 


	3. The Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or anything else related to Disney.  
  
Chapter Three: The Plan  
  
It was about five o'clock and dark clouds began forming over the city. The gang was all in Ashley A.'s living room sitting on the couch devising a plan. Or at least trying to anyway.  
"So, who's got an idea?" Vince asked, trying to lighten the mood.  
"Ugh!" Ashley Q. moaned. "This is all just too much! I can't think of anything!"  
"Tell me again why we can't call the cops," Lawson asked Ashley A.  
"Hello! The note said not too."  
"If the note said to jump off a cliff, would you do it?" he laughed.  
"You are so annoying!!!" Ashley Q. yelled.  
"Like you're not?"  
"Vincey?" Ashley B. said softly, getting close to Vince. "Are you SURE you don't want to take me to the dance Friday? Really sure?"  
"For the thousandth time, I am NOT taking you!" Vince growled.  
All four teenagers were soon in an uproar and it was literally making the walls vibrate.  
"EVERYONE PLEASE SHUT UP!!!!!" Ashley A. yelled at the top of her lungs.  
Surprisingly, everyone did shut up. Ashley B. sat down immediately, Ashley Q. released her grip from around Lawson's neck, and Vince scooted on the couch further away from all of them. Ashley A. was fuming.  
"If you guys want to help me save Bob, get it together, and STOP FIGHTING!!"  
"Okay, okay, we'll stop," Ashley B. said, slapping Ashley Q.'s hand when she stuck out her tongue at Lawson.  
"What exactly do we have to do anyway?" Vince asked.  
"We have to get Bob out of the warehouse safely without ME having to pay a million dollars."  
"Why can't you just pay it?" Lawson moaned. "It would be SO much easier."  
"Because that would be like letting the enemy win, you retard," Ashley Q. snapped.  
"Ashley Q., puh-lease!" Ashley A. scolded.  
"Listen," Vince said standing up. "I think what we all need to do is take a little quiet time and think this out. And some nice cold Pepsi would help the thinking process go smoother if you get my drift."  
Ashley A. sighed. "In the fridge, bottom shelf on the right."  
  
*********************************************  
  
It was ten thirty at night. A light shower was beginning to spread around the city, and a light gust of wind blew across the empty streets. The warehouse seemed really huge and creepy in the dark. Around the back, Ashley Q. and Ashley B. were discussing their part in the plan.  
"Why did we get the part of distracting the villains?" Ashley Q. said disgustedly. "I mean, what if they try to kill us or something? Then what?"  
"I think," Ashley B. began, "that we have a better chance of getting the villains distracted than sneaking in and actually getting into real danger."  
"True," Ashley Q. remarked. "Let the guys do the dirty work."  
"Hey!" a voice said from above them.  
They looked up and saw Vince's head peeking out from the roof.  
"Are you two going to knock on the door or what?"  
"We're going! Just chill, okay?" Ashley Q. forcefully whispered. "Let's go, Ashley B."  
The two girls walked up short staircase leading to the back door. The windows were covered with old newspapers so they couldn't see inside.  
"You knock," Ashley Q. offered.  
"No, you. I insist," Ashley B. offered back.  
"No, YOU."  
"YOU."  
"Why don't you both knock!" Vince whispered down to both of them.  
"Shut up!" Ashley Q. snapped.  
"Don't tell him to shut up!" Ashley B. argued.  
Ashley Q. rolled her eyes and pounded on the door. Nobody answered.  
"Well, nobody's home. Let's go," Ashley Q. said while turning to leave.  
Ashley B. grabbed her arm. "No way, sister. Keep knocking."  
Ashley Q. relunctantly knocked on the door again. This time two huge figures answered.  
"Yeah?" said the first one, who was bald.  
"Uh, hey. We're lost and were wondering if you could help us," Ashley Q. told him.  
"Where you goin'?" said the second man, who had a mohawk.  
"To the mall. We're, like, so new here and have no idea where it is," Ashley B. continued.  
"Oh, the mall," started Mohawk Guy. "Just take a right on Main Street, keep going 'til ya see a red light then go right and--"  
"Oooh, wait!" Ashley Q. cried. "Do you think you could SHOW us where it is."  
"Yeah, we don't remember directions to well," Ashley B. explained.  
"Uh, I dunno..." Bald Guy began, glancing at Mohawk Guy.  
"PLEASE?" the girls said together, blinking their lashes and smiling big.  
"Well, I guess it would be okay," Mohawk Guy decided.  
The two idiot guards stepped out and closed the door behind them, following two very successful Ashley's down to Main Street.  
  
******************************  
  
While Ashley B. and Ashley Q. were getting Mohawk Guy and Bald Guy away from their posts, Vince and Lawson were talking on the roof.  
"Run by me what we're doing again," Lawson asked.  
"When Miss Annoying and Miss Loudmouth get the two guard dudes away from their post, we slip in and find Bob. While we do that, Ashley A. is going to knock on the front door and take care of the main dude. We free Bob from whatever fix he's in, take on the main dude, then get the heck out of here."  
"What are the two princesses gonna do when they're done distracting the guards?"  
"I don't know. Run I guess."  
"Who's gonna call the cops?"  
"I guess one of us is gonna have to run to the station while we tackle Head Honcho."  
"Ri-i-ight."  
They heard the girls talking to some tough sounding men and peered over the side of the roof. They saw the girls leading the men off towards Main Street, which was the signal for them to break into the building.  
"Let's go," Vince said, moving toward the vents.  
  
***************************************** 


	4. The Action

Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or anything else related to Disney.  
  
Chapter Four: The Action  
  
It was about 10:45 PM, and the boys had finally managed to find a way out of the vents and into the warehouse. Everywhere was scattered huge boxes, a large crane, some shelves, and... a lot of dust.  
"ACHOO!"  
"Lawson! Shhhhh!"  
"Man, it's dusty."  
"No duh," Vince replied, rolling his eyes. "Let's just find Bob and get this thing over with."  
They looked behind a bunch of boxes and even checked IN some boxes, when suddenly--  
"Hey, isn't that a door?" Lawson whispered.  
"Yeah. And?"  
"He-ello? Bob might be in there."  
"True," Vince considered, stroking his chin.  
"Man, I'm am SO tired of hearing people say that!"  
They cautiously approached the door and neither of them really wanted to turn the handle to see what was inside.  
"You turn it," Vince said.  
"No way. You turn it."  
Vince sighed. "Fine. We'll both turn it."  
The guys opened the door, which squeaked horribly, and were faced with a pitch black room. A couple of mice ran out, which nearly sent Lawson into a screaming fit if Vince hadn't slapped his hand over his mouth.  
"SHHHH!!!" he whispered, as he released his terrified buddy.  
They both peered into the room and saw...  
  
*********************************  
  
Ashley checked her watch. Eleven o'clock on the dot. It was time for her to show up with the money.  
"I hope everyone did their part okay," she muttered to herself as she walked up the stairs to the front door.  
Gripping the bag of money tightly, she took a deep breath and was about to knock on the door, except the door creaked itself open. Ashley nearly croaked. She entered the poorly lit warehouse and heard the door bang shut behind her.  
"H-Hello?" she forced herself to say. "Is anyone here?"  
"Why indeed there is," a voice said over to the side.  
Ashley squinted. The voice came from a figure lurking in the shadows. But who was it? As the figure stepped forward, Ashley gasped when she saw who it was...  
  
********************************  
  
"Bob, is that you?" Lawson asked.  
Bob was sitting down, strapped to a chair and he looked pretty rough. He had a black eye, some dried blood on his nose, and was barely awake when his friends discovered him.  
"Of course it's Bob, you dummy," Vince said. "Dude, what on earth happened?"  
They started untying him and took the gag out of his mouth.  
"Huh?" he said, still half asleep...or maybe half-conscious; it was hard to tell.  
"What happened? Who kidnapped you?" Lawson repeated.  
"Where's...Ashley?" Bob managed to spit out.  
"She's fine," Vince assured him. "We all got together and put on this gig to save you, man."  
"OH MY GOSH!!" a girly voice said behind them.  
The guys turned and looked, only to see Ashley B. and Ashley Q. standing there.  
"What are you doing here!" Vince jumped up.  
"Where's the two doofuses?" Lawson added.  
"Well, as soon as we got to the mall, Mohawk and Baldie got so excited, they went on a shopping spree," Ashley Q. explained.  
"So we ditched 'em," Ashley B. added.  
"Nice," Vince complimented, and Ashley B. couldn't help but blush.  
"But who kidnapped you?!" Lawson asked Bob, not able to wait any longer.  
"It...was..." TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
*********************************  
  
HA HA!. Left ya with a cliffhanger! Sorry this chappie's so short, but I wanted to save the best for later. 


	5. The Villain

Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or anything else related to Disney.  
  
Chapter Five: The Villain  
  
"Menlo?" Ashley gasped.  
The high school dork with the tie and glasses smiled evilly as she said his name.  
"Hello, Ashley," he greeted as he walked closer to her.  
Ashley started backing off. She couldn't believe what was happening. She thought that Menlo had transferred to another school in another state at the beginning of the school year. But now...  
"What--why--you're the--"  
"If you're wondering if I'm the one who sent you the note and kidnapped Bob for a ransom, yes that would be me."  
"But...why?!"  
Menlo laughed evilly, which sent chills down Ashley's back.  
"You really want to know, deary?" He grinned when Ashley nodded somewhat. "Because as far back as I can remember, I have been in love with you. All the other kids thought that you Ashley's were a group of heartless snobs, but I saw past all that and saw the true you. You're nice, and sweet, and caring, unlike your friends were.  
"For years, I was too chicken to come up and talk to you, so you probably didn't know I existed half the time. The chance of me actually talking to you was practically taken away from me when I moved to another state a few months ago. Then, while I was talking to my good friend Randall on the phone a while ago, he let it slip that you and Bob were dating."  
"Blast that Randall," Ashley muttered angrily to herself.  
"You don't know how torn I was when I heard that," Menlo sniffed, trying to hold back the tears. "I thought I was going to die when I realized that the only thing I ever cared about was stolen from me." He suddenly got serious and got the evil look again on his face. "Then, I realized something...if I could get Bob out of my way, maybe I would have a chance of being with you. And I would finally be happy!"  
"Hold up," Ashley finally cut in. "What on earth made you think that by sending me a ransom note, I was going to start liking you?"  
"Well, truth was, I didn't really think you'd show up."  
"You thought wrong. And what on earth are you going to do with a million dollars anyway?"  
"I was sort of thinking big house, nice car, swimming pool, you get the picture."  
"This is ridiculous!" Ashley shouted. "I don't like you, never have, never will!! I love Bob! Now where is he?!"  
"Oh, he's safe. If you call being beaten, gagged, and tied to a chair SAFE."  
  
**************************  
  
"MENLO?!" the four team-members shouted in unison when Bob finally spit out the name of his kidnapper.  
"Wait, I thought he moved," Vince asked.  
"Yeah...guess...he came...back," Bob remarked painfully.  
"This doesn't make any sense," Lawson said. "Why would that little dweeb kidnap you?"  
"Duh!" Vince replied. "Because Menlo is IN LOVE with Ashley A."  
Everyone turned and looked at him.  
"He's what?" Bob asked.  
"How do you know that?" Ashley Q. asked him demandingly.  
"I remember back in fourth grade, me and T.J. had asked him for a favor, and he wouldn't do it unless we got Ashley to let him carry her books home one day. He was obviously goo-goo about her."  
"You decided to mention this NOW?!" Ashley Q. screeched.  
"I forgot okay?"  
"Yeah, he forgot," Ashley B. defended him. "Just chill, girl, okay?"  
"No, I will not CHILL," Ashley Q. snapped. "I'm going out there and giving that four-eyed loser a piece of my mind."  
Vince grabbed her arm before she could act on her words.  
"Wait, hold up," he said. "You just can't go marching out there like queen of the world and expect to get through to him. He's a little weird, ya know."  
"Like, duh!" she replied, wrenching her arm out of his grasp. "Everyone knows that."  
"Stop talking to him like that!" Ashley B. said a little angrily, trying to defend Vince.  
"Whose side are you on anyway?" Ashley Q. barked.  
"We're all on the same side here!" Vince yelled.  
As those three were arguing, Bob finally got enough strength to stand up on his own. Figuring he wasn't going to get any help from them, he silently signalled to Lawson and they snuck out the door, but not before closing it on them and blocking it with a huge box.  
"Those guys were driving me nuts," Bob said afterwards.  
"Tell me about it," Lawson agreed. "So what now?"  
"Go to the police and get them out here," Bob instructed. "I'll handle Menlo."  
"Are you sure you can do that by yourself?"  
"Yeah, no sweat," Bob grinned.  
"Man, you're nuts."  
"I know."  
They high-fived, and Bob watched Lawson make his way out the back door before heading out to find his girlfriend and his kidnapper.  
  
********** 


	6. The PowerOuttage

Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or anything else related to Disney.  
  
Chapter Six: The Power-Outage  
  
"Well, now that I've spilled my heart to you, I'll be taking that one million," Menlo said, reaching for the bag in Ashley's hand. She slapped him upside the head with the bag.  
"NO!" she cried, running for life towards the back of the warehouse.  
Suddenly, the storm outside got really bad. Lightning struck and before Ashley knew what was going on, the power went out, and she was engulfed by darkness. She could hear Menlo stumbling around saying something about losing his glasses again, and frantically began looking for a place to hide. Spotting a place between a group of huge boxes, she quickly hid herself. She held her breath as she heard Menlo getting closer.  
"Ashley, please," she heard him say softly. "I don't want to hurt you. That's the last thing I want to do."  
Ashley scooted silently backwards and accidentally pressed her hand against something sharp. Wincing, she shook her hand trying to somewhat ease the pain. Then she picked up what she pressed on. A tack. Ashley suddenly got an idea.  
She carefully eased her hand close to the top of the box she was beside and threw the tack off to the far right. She heard it land, and before long heard Menlo walking in that direction.  
"You're not very good at playing hide-and-seek, are you?" Menlo chuckled evilly as he walked off.  
Ashley saw her chance and took off to the left. Being careful not to run into anything, she travelled on until she ran into something. She would have screamed if someone hadn't put their hand over her mouth.  
"Shhhh," the strange person said softly and put their hand down.  
Squinting in the darkness, she realized who it was...  
"Bob!" she whispered happily, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.  
"Oh, baby, what did he do to you?" she asked when she heard him groan slightly.  
"Nothing fatal," he joked weakly.  
"Where is everyone?" Ashley asked.  
"Well, Vince and your two friends wouldn't shut up fighting, so me and Lawson kinda stuffed them up in the room they found me in," Bob explained. "Then, I told Lawson to go to police station while I found you. Sure wish he'd hurry up."  
  
***************************  
  
"I'm tellin' ya!" Lawson argued with two cops at the station. "There is a crazy guy in this warehouse on the corner of Woods and Mockingbird and he's got my buddy beat, gagged, and tied up---well, he DID, but we untied him---and the guy's completely whack and you have got to do something!!"  
"Ri-i-ight..." said one cop, then both of them started laughing.  
"Fine, but Menlo gets away with hurting my pal anymore, I'm really gonna--"  
"Wait, did you say 'Menlo'?" said the cop that was talking before.  
"Uh, yeah?"  
"That guy's a complete looney-bird!" said the second cop.  
"No kiddin'," Lawson said, a little confused. "I just said that like three times already."  
"No, I'm serious. That little punk is a genius at hacking into banks and ATM machines and stealing money," Cop No.2 explained.  
"But, if he hacks into stuff and gets money, then why did he ask for a million bucks?" Lawson asked.  
"Uh, to get more money?" Cop No.1 guessed.  
"True," Lawson said thoughtfully. He suddenly realized what he just said. "Oh no! Now I'm saying it!"  
  
***************************  
(Back At Warehouse...)  
  
"What are we going to do?" Ashley asked.  
"I don't know," Bob confessed. "Give me a minute to figure it out. While I do that, go get those three stooges out of that room before they kill each other, then I want you all to get out. I'll handle Four-Eyes."  
"But, I don't want to leave you here," Ashley protested.  
Bob kissed her softly.  
"I'll be fine," he assured her. "They're behind the door blocked by a box. You'll probably hear muffled shouts."  
She smiled. "Okay."  
  
************* 


	7. The Victory

Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or anything else related to Disney.  
  
Author's Note: Here it is, the last chapter of this crazy story! I really appreciate the reviews; they were the only thing that made we want to continue. Now, I can spend some time with my Kim Possible story... Enjoy this last chapter!  
  
Chapter Seven: The Victory  
  
Bob went in the direction Menlo had went and started looking for him. Lightning flashed outside, giving some light to the room, and he thought he saw him over by the crane. Bob sneakily approached him from behind, then grabbed him into a headlock.  
"What the?" Menlo cried as he was being strangled. "How did you get out?"  
"I have friends who care about me," Bob told him.  
Menlo was swung up against the side of the crane roughly. Bob glared at him.  
"If you EVER come near me, Ashley, or any of our friends again, I swear I'm gonna beat the tar out of you," he threatened. Menlo winced.  
"But...I didn't mean for any of this to happen!" he pleaded.  
"Yeah, like you didn't mean to have your henchmen beat and gag me," Bob replied. "Like you didn't mean to send Ashley a ransom note. Like you didn't mean for this to take place just so you could have Ashley to yourself!"  
Menlo laughed nervously. "Yeah...but, you don't understand."  
"Oh, I think I do."  
"You're not going to (gulp) BEAT me up, are you?"  
Bob looked at the pathetic, scrawny little creep for a moment. He tossed him on the ground.  
"No," he answered. "You're not worth it."  
He turned to walk away but was stopped when Menlo suddenly jumped on top of him and started fighting. Soon they were both rolling on the ground in a war with the fists.  
  
***********************  
  
Ashley finally found where Vince, Ashley Q., and Ashley B. were, and she was trying desperately to push the box out of the way of the door.  
"I...I can't move it!" she moaned. "It won't budge!"  
"Where's Bob at?" Vince shouted from the other side of the door. "And where on earth is Lawson?"  
"He went after Menlo," she answered. "And Lawson went for the cops."  
"Oh, that'll take three years," Ashley Q. remarked sarcastically.  
"Give the guy a break, man," Vince told her. "He's not Superman."  
"No kidding."  
"Guys!" Ashley A. shouted. "Come on. You're going to have to help."  
"How?" Ashley B. asked. "The box is on YOUR side."  
"I know, but if the door opens to the outside, then you can try pushing the box while I pull it."  
"Hey, that's not a bad idea," Vince complimented. "Okay, all together. PUSH!"  
After five minutes of pushing and pulling, they finally managed to move the box enough out of the way for them to get out of the room.  
"Oh! Fresh air!" Ashley Q. cried, fanning herself.  
"Let's find Bob and get out of here!" Vince suggested, and they all took off running.  
  
*************************  
  
"Give up, Four-Eyes," Bob demanded, punching Menlo square in the chin.  
"Never, Sports-Jock," Menlo refused, punching Bob back.  
A few more minutes of fighting continued. Suddenly, Bob thought he heard his name being called. He shoved Menlo out of the way long enough to see Ashley and the gang running towards them from a distance. Vince grabbed Menlo and forced him to the ground, while the other two Ashley's scolded him excessively for what he had done. Ashley A. got on the ground by Bob and they hugged each other.  
If that wasn't all, the police suddenly busted the door down and surrounded everybody, guns pointed at Menlo. Vince released him to the sheriff, and he was escorted out along with two other cops who had Bald Guy and Mohawk Guy handcuffed.  
"You're going to be doing some heavy duty time in jail for this, pal," the sheriff told him.  
"I would have gotten away with it, if it hadn't been for those meddling friends of theirs!" Menlo cried.  
"Yeah, yeah, keep moving."  
Lawson pushed his way through the cops and got a high-five from Vince.  
"Nice timing, bro."  
"Thanks."  
"Actually, I thought he took a little too long," Bob joked.  
"Hey, you know adults are."  
  
*************************  
  
By now, a crowd had gathered around the warehouse as the cops put the three villains in the squad car. Bob and Ashley stood away from everybody else and watched.  
"I'm so glad you're safe," Ashley told him.  
"I wasn't worried about me," Bob confessed. "I was really worried about you the whole time I was locked in that closet."  
They leaned in for kiss, both of them realizing that nothing could ever stop them from being together, ever.  
  
********* 


End file.
